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A Corner Of The Universe (Paperback)
by Ann Martin
| Category:
Family, Fiction, Award-winning books, Ages 9-12, Children's book |
| Market price: ¥ 88.00
MSL price:
¥ 78.00
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MSL rating:
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| MSL Pointer Review:
This book is influential for promoting you to think about how precious life really is, and about the obstacles the mentally disabled face, and to make you understand and realize that despite their differences, they are just like us. |
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Author: Ann Martin
Publisher: Scholastic
Pub. in: January, 2004
ISBN: 0439388813
Pages: 208
Measurements: 7.2 x 5.3 x 0.5 inches
Origin of product: USA
Order code: BC00049
Other information: Reprint edition
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- Awards & Credential -
The winner of Newbery honor for 2003 |
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- MSL Picks -
Watching home movies, Hattie looks back over the summer of 1960 and the events that changed her perception of life. The 12-year-old has difficulty making friends her own age, but enjoys the company of an elderly boarder, the friendly cook, and her artist father. Her relationship with her mother is sometimes difficult because they must always negotiate clothing and behavior to suit her wealthy, overbearing maternal grandmother. Suddenly, an uncle whom Hattie has never heard of comes to live with her grandparents because his school has closed. Although she is totally shocked at the existence of this rapidly babbling, Lucille Ball-quoting, calendar-savant child in a man's body, Hattie comes to appreciate his affection for her, his exuberance for life, and his courage in facing society's rejection. When she suggests that he sneak out to join her for a night of fun at a carnival, tragedy ensues. Hattie's narration is clear and appealing. Her recollection of the smallest of behaviors shows that each family member has felt both love and pain for her uncle, but could not express it. As she comes to understand what Uncle Adam meant when he spoke of being able to lift the corners of our universe, she is hopeful that her family can learn to heal and communicate. Martin delivers wonderfully real characters and an engrossing plot through the viewpoint of a girl who tries so earnestly to connect with those around her. This is an important story, as evocative on the subject of mental illness as Ruth White's Memories of Summer.
Target readers:
Kids aged up 8
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Ann Matthews Martin was born on August 12, 1955. She grew up in Princeton, NJ, with her parents, her younger sister, Jane, and a lot of pets. Aside from being big cat lovers, Ann and her family also had hamsters, mice, turtles, guinea pigs and fish at different times throughout the years. After graduating from Smith College, Ann became a teacher and then an editor of children's books. She's now a full-time writer. Ann gets the ideas for her books from many different places. Some are based on personal experiences, while others are based on childhood memories and feelings. Many are written about contemporary problems or events. All of Ann's characters, even the members of the Baby-sitters Club, are made up. But many of her characters are based on real people. Sometimes Ann names her characters after people she knows, and other times she simply chooses names that she likes. Ann has always enjoyed writing. Even before she was old enough to write, she would dictate stories to her mother to write down for her. Some of her favorite authors at that time were Lewis Carroll, P. L. Travers, Hugh Lofting, Astrid Lindgren, and Roald Dahl. They inspired her to become a writer herself. After living in New York City for many years, Ann moved to the Hudson Valley in upstate New York where she now lives with her dog, Sadie, and her cats, Gussie, Willy and Woody. Her hobbies are reading, sewing, and needlework. Her favorite thing to do is to make clothes for children.
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The summer Hattie turns 12; her predictable small-town life is turned on end when her uncle Adam returns home for the first time in over ten years. Hattie has never met him, never known about him. He's been institutionalized; his condition involves schizophrenia and autism. Hattie, a shy girl who prefers the company of adults, takes immediately to her excitable uncle, even when the rest of the family - her parents and grandparents - have trouble dealing with his intense way of seeing the world. And Adam, too, sees that Hattie is special, that her quiet, shy ways are not a disability.
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Bibliotekaria (MSL quote), USA
<2006-12-27 00:00>
Hattie's universe is permanently altered the summer she turns twelve, when for the first time she meets her 21-year-old mentally ill Uncle Adam, of whom no one in the family had ever mentioned previously. His presence disrupts the orderly life of her wealthy and controlling grandparents, who are left with no other option than to accept him back into their home when his school closes. Hattie, an introspective only child with few friends, feels alternately enchanted by Adam's childlike exuberance and concerned that she might be somehow "like him." She becomes protective of him as she witnesses the cruel reaction of those who deem him a "freak."
Ann Martin's authentic writing takes us back to 1960 with such details as rickrack as a fashion statement, nylons and garter belts, and "Dobie Gillis." Her sympathetic treatment of the characters draws the reader into this poignant story, earning a well-deserved Newbery honor for 2003.
Though the reading level is listed as 9-12, I would offer a caution that the emotional content is rather mature for this age group. I consider this appropriate for middle school and older. Younger readers might find Betsy Byars' "The Summer of the Swans," a book with similar themes, to be a bit more emotionally on target. |
Jessica Ferguson (MSL quote), Woodbury, NJ
<2006-12-27 00:00>
Hattie is a loner who prefers the company of her family's boarding home residents to the snickering insipidness of her classmates. When her Uncle-kept-secret, Adam, comes into her life, she finds him to be a challenging but worthy friend. She sees a joy in life through his eyes that she has never seen before and she learns a sense of responsibility and righteousness in situations where she would otherwise not have been challenged. His presence and his own personal mental challenges/illness give Hattie insight into her family members and the lives they lived before she existed. And while Hattie does find friendship with a like-aged young woman who proves that not all teens are insensitive and self-centered, it is Adam who helps her understand herself and the world a little better, even when some of the lessons are hard to learn.
While A Corner of the Universe is not a book that keeps the reader riveted at attention with action packed scenes of danger and fantasy, Hattie's growth as a character is exceptional and the treatment of difficult subject matter is handled with such skill that A Corner of the Universe is a wonderful read for any age.
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J. Lucero (MSL quote), USA
<2006-12-27 00:00>
A Corner of the Universe is about a 21 year old young man named Adam Mercer who is mentally disabled in such a way that causes him to act as if he were a child. It is also about a 12 year old girl named Hattie Owen who gets to know her uncle, Adam, and his world. The story occurs during the summer of 1958 in a small town in Millerton. Hattie lives in a boarding house managed by her parents. Adam and Hattie enjoy going to Fred Carmel's Funtime Carnival together. The plot of this story is having Adam come back to live with his parents, after all these years of never mentioning him. Hattie is curious about her uncle and decides to meet him, and from there after Hattie begins to grow closer to her uncle. This book is influential because it causes you to think about how precious life really is, and about the obstacles the mentally disabled face, and to make you understand and realize that despite their differences, they are just like us. When I first began reading this book, I wanted to know more about Adam. After reading the book, I thought about people who are like Adam, and what it would be like if I were in his shoes; How would others treat me? Honestly, I also felt the need to visit the nearest carnival. This book tells me that the mentally disabled should be treated the way you would treat those you care about. From reading A Corner of the Universe, I have learned how to cope with loss, and the true value of a life. Ann M. Martin uses figures of speech in her style of writing, including similes. For example, "I noticed that we settle down gingerly, as if something might break." I recommend this book to anyone who would take their time to read it. |
E. Shim (MSL quote), USA
<2006-12-27 00:00>
Hattie Owen, a teenage girl, just about to turn twelve, goes through the biggest change in her life as she soon meets her young uncle Adam. Hattie did not know the she had, yet, another uncle until she soon suddenly finds out that he is visiting in her town. She finds out that Uncle Adam is not a normal uncle; it didn't take her long to figure out that Uncle Adam had mental disabilities. Her parents ran a boarding house that was occupied with Cookie; the cook, Miss Hagerty; an old grandma that lives in her house, Mr. Penny; the old man who used to run the old clock repair shop, and Angel Valentine; a young worker in the bank. When Hattie first met Uncle Adam, she thought that Uncle Adam was the strangest person she had ever met. Later on, Hattie became to understand how to react to Adam's problems and soon got closer to Adam. Adam had a huge crush on Angel Valentine. She was a very beautiful woman and Adam liked her a lot, but Angel had a boyfriend, and soon Adam caught Angel's boyfriend in Angel's apartment and dropped the flowers that he was going to give to her. He ran away and didn't come back. No one knew where he was. Everyone was looking for him, and later, Hattie's parents tell her that Uncle Adam had hung himself, and Hattie understood why, he was hurt, his feelings were hurt of being teased, being pressured, and being heartbroken by Angel Valentine.
I really enjoyed reading this book, because I got to understand how people really felt when they had a mentally ill family member. This book really spoke to me, when I read it, I felt as if I was there, as if I was Hattie Owen. My favorite quote is the last sentences of the end of the book, "It's all about changing what's handed to you, about poking around a little, lifting the corners, seeing what's underneath, poking that. Sometimes things work out, sometimes they don't, but at least you're exploring. And life is always more interesting that way." That quote really helped me in my life too. I always would get upset if something would go wrong, but now I calm down and think, 'There's always a solution.' Another quote that really captured me was when Hattie, her mother, and her father sit together and talk about one thing that they really remembered about Adam, "But the next night, Mom says, "Adam was brave." and Dad says, "Adam could see right into your soul." And I say, "Adam was different.""
My most favorite part in the book, was when Hattie and Adam go to a carnival and ride a Ferris wheel with Hattie's friend Leila, and then all of a sudden the Ferris wheel gets stuck and they're on the highest spot and then Adam panics and starts shouting, he gets scared and starts trying to get out of the car of the Ferris wheel, Leila and Hattie try everything to stop him, they get bruised and hurt badly. I liked this part of the story, because I remember I was like Adam once when I was on the Ferris wheel with my friend and I started screaming, I started panicking, and I enjoyed reading that part because it was thrilling to read a part where I've experienced before. The part that I disliked the most was when Adam hung himself. I felt that was a very sad moment and it made me sad to know that Adam had killed himself, and also angry at Angel Valentine to have not locked her door and had let Adam open the door on her and her boyfriend. Most important of all, I really enjoyed this book.
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